The Delta State Police Command has arrested a 20-year-old herbalist, Amechi Okwuokenye, and his elder brother, Smart Okwuokenye, aged 26, over the gruesome murder of two victims in Owa-Alidima, Ika North East Local Government Area of the state.
The victims were Friday Liberty (22) and a commercial motorcyclist, Isioma Ugbeje.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, the arrest followed a detailed, intelligence-led investigation launched by detectives attached to the Agbor Area Command after the mysterious disappearance of one of the victims, Friday Liberty.
Edafe explained that the case began on September 30, 2025, when Liberty visited the herbalist, Amechi Okwuokenye, but never returned home. His family, after several days of fruitless searching, became suspicious following information from Liberty’s girlfriend, who revealed that her late boyfriend had mentioned visiting the herbalist before his disappearance.
When the family contacted Amechi, he reportedly denied seeing Liberty and instead offered to perform spiritual incantations to help “bring him back alive.” After spending money on the failed rituals, the family petitioned the police on October 14, 2025, prompting detectives to launch a full-scale investigation.
The operatives traced the last known contact of the missing man and discovered that it was indeed the herbalist, contrary to his earlier denial. Surveillance was mounted around Amechi’s shrine in Owa-Alidima, and he was eventually arrested on October 23, 2025, while hiding inside a refrigerator.
Upon interrogation, the herbalist allegedly confessed to conspiring with his brother, Smart, to kidnap and later murder Liberty and the Okada rider who had taken him to the shrine. The suspects admitted to demanding a ₦10 million ransom, and when the plan failed, they killed both men and dumped their bodies in a soakaway pit near the shrine.
“The herbalist revealed that Liberty had been his longtime client, who often sought charms to hypnotize people for financial gain. He said his elder brother convinced him to lure one of his clients for ransom, leading to the tragic death of Friday Liberty and the motorcyclist,” the police statement read.
SP Edafe confirmed that the decomposed bodies of the victims have been exhumed and deposited at the mortuary for autopsy, while the suspects remain in custody pending further investigation.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, assured residents of Delta State that justice will be served and reiterated the command’s resolve to rid the state of violent crimes.
“The Delta State Police Command will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that justice is done. We remain committed to the protection of lives and property,” the statement quoted the CP as saying.
The shocking discovery has sparked public outrage in the Ika North East community, with residents calling for justice and stronger action against ritual-related crimes in the state.
